Tis true. Lately we've been on a crazy decor spree and decided that our sliding bathroom door needed some pizazz. We've always been fans of chalkboard walls and decided we wanted to give it a go with this simple DIY project. Like Vanessa said in the last post, living in an RV doesn't have to be uninspired.

The entire project cost around $15 roughly, which was PERFECT for us. Not only do we enjoy being minimalists when it comes to design and style, but we also don't want to break the bank. Our budget is reserved predominantly for hitting the road, not decorating our home.

The process of painting a chalkboard wall was very straightforward. These are the tools we used:

1. Chalkboard Paint

2. Trim Roller/Small Paint Tray

3. Masking Tape

​4. Small Paint Brush

​The masking tape was for the edges of the door, the small paint brush was for those tinnnnyyy places that a trim roller just can't reach. Other than that, maybe keep a few paper towels on deck just in case of any spills or droplets of paint.

SO.....this was the before photo of our RV bathroom door:

This was what the door looked like mid-project:

And this is the after photo.

How cool, right?! Overall the process was quick and painless. I absolutely recommend two coats minimum on the door, or surface you're painting. After the first coat you may be thinking "whoa, what have I done?" But fear not. After you let the first coat dry (think 3-4 hours), follow up with a second. Note: We painted two more coats after this. Our RV door is finished with a sort of contact paper veneer, so it isn't super porous. We wanted to be EXTRA sure that it wouldn't scratch or scrape when we start getting creative with our chalk.

After a few solid coats, everything should be completely covered and evened out. I freaked out only a little during the project, when the door looked wet and not at all like a chalkboard. Don't give up hope though, everything dries and looks exactly as it should.

Our second article is officially published in Suncoast Pet Magazine, and boy, does it feel good. One of the highlights for us on the road is being able to give back to the community in some shape or form. By writing for Suncoast Pet, Vanessa and I have the opportunity to travel to different pet rescues and shelters throughout the country and feature ones that we think deserve more recognition. This is important for a few reasons:

1. Maybe these pet groups aren't getting enough attention or resources to help animals properly.2. Sharing each rescue or shelters' unique ways in raising funds might inspire other shelters throughout the country to do the same.3. Bringing awareness to a certain group and recognizing their efforts might be the motivating force they need to keep making a difference in the pet community.

I could go on. Alas, it's a rewarding way for us to be involved in the pet community on the road as much as we were at home.

In this issue, Vanessa and I traveled down to Everglades Outpost, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. We stumbled upon the Outpost last year after rescuing a turtle from the middle of the street and needing to find it a safe place to come out of its shell. We loved the facility and how they cared for the animals so much, that we decided to feature them in the January/February issue.

You can read the article in entirety here at Suncoast Pet Online. Or simply subscribe to the magazine and receive a hard copy in the mail six times a year. That way you'll have a little piece of The Roamans right in your own home :)

New year, new Maude. Our project list for 2016 is drawn up and underway! IKEA SOLSTA sofa hack is now complete, and with the slide redesign in full swing, who says living in an RV has to be uninspired?

Aside from the questionable upholstery and RV standard wallpaper (nipped that in the bud as our first order of business), our other non-negotiable, relating to the original interior of our 2007 Itasca Navion, was the slide.

Jam-packed with a convertible sofa-to-bed apparatus, Maude's slide was stuffy with a touch of visually painful. Albeit said sofa was comfortable and did successfully sleep 2 cover-hogging adults, there was something about having the entire space dedicated to the possibility of overnight guests that wasn't quite within the scope of form and function. Certainly not form in my opinion, but what about specific-to-us function? This Manufacturer's Special had to go.

Countless hours of searching Pinterest for inspiration alone qualifies as a career, and many unsuccessful attempts using the trial and error method had us considering a dance floor affectionately referred to as "The Electric Slide". Bad puns stop here.

Fast forward to present-day. Eight months after bringing our beloved Maude home (8-out-of-8 spent wistfully contemplating an empty slide), our dear friends Mark and Sahar are in preparation for a cross-country move from Florida to California. With an apartment full of furnishings and only one haul being made, these two were looking to unload a few things STAT. Cue this adorably modest IKEA creation collecting sunspots beneath a wall of picture windows.

No stranger to the design game, my thoughts went immediately to custom options for a creative edge. Mishmash collection of patterned throw pillows. Texture in the form of a partial faux fur cover, masking time well-spent basking in the glow of South Florida sun. A cozy spread in which to tangle myself while getting lost in a good book. But what about the actual sofa itself? Without hesitation, nailhead trim. Y-E-S. Reprised seventeenth century detail meets Bohemian chic meets global market.

Having done this before with an IKEA KLIPPAN sofa, I was on the hunt for a nailhead trim kit. Easier and less time consuming than hammering nails one-by-one, however, depending upon your intended design, individual application may be the better bet. Just remember the old adage, "measure twice, cut once".

A quick run to Hobby Lobby, color consideration made, and 40% off a $19.99 price tag, we were well on our way to a successful interior level-up and quite possibly creative genius.

Realistically, this simple project should have taken only 30 minutes given the straightforward nature of my chosen design, however, I was working with an antique ball-peen hammer belonging to Marisa's Great-Grandfather after finding that our own hammer had decided to take holiday (spelled M-I-A). One hour and 75 nails later, some having successfully completed their mission and some that had succumb to my Macgyver tool tactics, voila!
IKEA hack, The Roamans style.

And just in case you're wondering, yes, we did indeed replace our sofabed with another sofabed because women are complicated.

First things first, I'm Italian. So making homemade pasta without eggs is somewhat sacrilegious. However, I also happen to be in love with a delightful little lady who has embraced veganism after 21 year as a vegetarian. I decided if I was going to try my hand at homemade vegan pasta, then I better cross my fingers and hope for the best because it sounded like a hit or miss in my book.

Luckily though, it was a hit! When you make fresh, homemade pasta there are two ingredients: flour and eggs. It's not a difficult process, but yields very delicious results. So, attempting vegan pasta, we needed to find a substitute for eggs. But also, we wanted to make it a tad bit healthier as well. We decided to use 100% organic whole wheat flour as our primary flour source, a little bit of all purpose flour, and some oil and water as our egg substitute. We also made a clever decision to throw in some puréed fresh spinach to give it a boost of vitamins and minerals as well as a nice, green color.

The thing that we love about homemade pasta is that it's fun to make. We don't have any fancy pasta maker or pasta cutter, we have two sets of hands and a pizza cutter. That's it. But there's something about gathering around a table, hands dusty with flour, making your own food that we absolutely adore. Especially if it's a rainy afternoon, and you already have some homemade tomato sauce on tap.

NOTE: Due to the deliciousness and world-renowned appeal of our family tomato sauce recipe, it cannot be shared. Unless you marry in. So, well done Vanessa.

The recipe yielded enough noodles for one tray of lasagna, three layers deep. We also made a killer vegan ricotta from The Simple Veganista that is a MUST-TRY. The base was soaked cashews mixed with a few spices and a splash of lemon juice. So yummy, and extremely healthy. Not to mention the perfect texture.

Homemade vegan pasta is not hard to make. It's fun, and super tasty. You know every ingredient going in, which is awesome. Plus, it's a breeze to prepare on the road.

Homemade Vegan Pasta

1. Use a food processor to blend the flours together, mixing throughly. 2. Add the spinach.3. Combine the oil and water together.4. Switch that processor on and sloooowwwllyyy add the water/oil mixture. Like-a-few-tablespoons-at-a-time-slow. The dough will start to form, but still be sticky and malleable. This is perfect.5. Take the dough out of the processor and wrap in some plastic wrap to rest for 10-20 minutes. This process is very important for lighter pasta.6. On a floured surface, place dough making sure it isn't TOO sticky to handle.7. Using a floured rolling pin, or a smooth bottle, roll out your pasta to desired thickness. Note: we rolled out some noodles twice because it just wasn't thin enough the first time.8. Cut pasta as you wish! We did lasagna noodles about 5-6 inches long and 1-2 inches wide. But really, you can make any type of pasta you dang well please.9. Boil a pot of liberally salted, llightly oiled water.10. Drop those bad boys in for about 6-7 minutes. Different types of pasta will require different cooking times, so make sure you keep an eye out and test as you go.

Voila! Homemade vegan noodles. Remember, the spinach is optional. You can even sub in other things like canned pumpkin or sundried tomatoes instead of the spinach for different color and flavor.

Hope you enjoy this recipe from The Roamans. Cooking on the road can absolutely be both fun and delicious. Spend a rainy day making some fresh vegan pasta and let us know what you think!